


The Birth of a Phoenix

by VelourFanClub (toomanysorrows)



Category: Legends of the Wulin
Genre: Coming Out, Fantasy, Gen, Trans Character, Trans Girl, Wuxia, doesnt involve any fighting, i think at least, is it ironic, that my first fic for a wuxia game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-07
Updated: 2018-06-07
Packaged: 2019-05-19 08:50:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14870610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toomanysorrows/pseuds/VelourFanClub
Summary: Madam Liu's free time is interrupted by a young man with a peculiar request.





	The Birth of a Phoenix

**Author's Note:**

> Uuuuh yeh I thought the Resplendent Phoenix Society was rly cool and I was rly happy that there's a canon way for trans characters to transition in this setting and this happened???
> 
> Btw, Shen Zhou is an alternate version of China but it's still really close to historical China, and I've done my best to do research but if you notice anything that seems off or weird do please tell me!!

Madam Liu sat at the small desk. It had been a busy day, although that was nothing new. As the most senior member of the Resplendent Phoenix Society in the city of Sparrow’s Flight she usually had a pretty busy life. Watching over the affairs of the Society, coordinating the lower-ranking members on their various tasks, dealing with any upcoming problems, keeping up relations with the other Wulin organisations in the city, and so forth. Not to mention she had her own private affairs to look after. As the face of the Society in the city when no-one of higher rank was in town she had to keep a certain standing, and that cost money. Of course she had some money from her family fortune, and she received a subsidy from the Society’s coffers for this purpose, but it was never quite enough. When you lived in the empire’s number one trading port you always had rich merchant families pushing the standards of display higher and higher. Even if she never stooped to the rather decadent level of opulence that some of them practiced, it nevertheless cost money to keep up a respectable facade. Because of this she’d started trading herself a long time ago already, as much as it was possible to do so for a single woman, and that required plenty of paperwork on top of her work for the Society.

At least the work was done now, so she had some time to relax. Madam Liu had always thought herself a semi-competent poet, nowhere near as good as the classical masters of course but it was an enjoyable hobby. She never had as much time for it as she’d maybe wish, but these small moments, when even the bustle of the city had died down slightly and the stars were visible through the window, were more than enough. She wouldn’t know what to do with free time during the day anyway, she found she always wrote better at night. 

She was just about to set brush to paper when there was a soft knock on her door and she called for the person to enter. One of her servants entered and quickly bowed deeply.  
“Your servant is very sorry for disturbing you so late, mistress, but a young man knocked on the door and asked for an audience with you. He said he was Wang Xia, the second son of Wang Jun.”  
Madam Liu frowned slightly. Overall, she rather liked the Wangs. They were a respectable merchant family, one with rare good taste. Wang Jun was amicable enough, and she had struck some business deals with him in the past. On the other hand, showing up this late was rather bad form. She hoped the boy had a very good reason for it.

“Bring him to the living room. I’ll see him in a bit.”

The maid bowed again, and left. Madam Jiu quickly put on more formal clothes and headed over to the living room. A boy was standing there, still quite young, maybe about fifteen. He was rather tall and willowy, unlike his father who was more stout, but his face very much resembled Wang Jun himself. His blue, silk zhiduo was dishevelled and his hair messy. It was not a very good first impression. He quickly fell to the ground in a kowtow as he spoke in a quick and hurried voice. 

“A thousand apologies for disturbing you milady, but this humble one has a request-“

She sighed. She could barely follow what he was saying when talking so fast and with his head to the floor. This conversation was already proving tiring. 

“Calm down. And get up, I’m not the empress.”

The young man hesitated for a moment before standing up, though he kept his face pointed towards the ground. Madam Liu looked him over, keeping a neutral face as she spoke.

“You’re Wang Jun’s second son then?”

The young man nodded quickly.

“Yes, I-I am.”

“Then would you care to tell me why you came here and asked for an audience in the middle of the night?”

“It… it was… Nevermind, it was a silly idea.” He made to stand up again. “This humble one is terribly sorry for having inconvenienced you milady. Please don’t think less of my father for it. This humble one won’t bother you again.”

As he turned madam Liu frowned, speaking again with much more command in her voice.

“Now, none of that. You came banging on my door in the middle of the night, interrupting my free time. The least you can do is give me an explanation.”

Wang Xia froze for a moment, before turning back around while he nodded. Some of the tension seemed to have left his body, though he still looked nervous. 

The boy had a couple more false starts where he had to gather his words for a bit, but he didn’t seem to plan on leaving anymore. To an extent Madam Liu was annoyed that this was taking so long, but she couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for the boy. Whatever the young man had come to say, it clearly caused him a lot of trouble. Eventually he had seemed to find his words however:

“I’ve heard a lot of stories about what goes on in the Jianghu. The normal affairs mostly, with duels and things like that. But I’d also heard that… that sometimes men in the Jianghu can become women, with enough training…”

As he spoke, madam Liu nodded slightly. She had a feeling she knew where this was heading. The boy was talking faster now, as if floodgates had been opened in his brain and the torrent of words couldn’t be stopped.

“I’ve always felt like what I was didn’t fit. When I was a child I always wanted to join in on my sisters’ activities instead of all the lessons father gave us. I even once put on a dress I snuck out from the women’s quarters, just to try it. And I liked it. And I know that’s wrong! I should be happy that Heaven made me what I am, made me a man. But no matter how hard I try I just can’t…”

“I’m the second son, my older brother will be able to continue my father’s business and continue the family name and perform the necessary sacrifices. I’d always be in his shadow, so if I left it wouldn’t  
make a difference for him. My younger brother is being taught just like us anyway, he’ll be able to assist him. And since I’d heard about how people can change themselves in the Wulin, and how a lot of them were part of the Resplendent Phoenix Society, I thought that maybe they could help me. That is why I had to come so late: father can’t know about this, and I had to be able to evade the patrols of our guards. Again, I am very sorry for the convenience I’ve caused you in this. If you don’t want to help me I understand.”

Madam Liu thought for a bit. Like they’d mentioned, there had been people like this in the Society before. She had to admit the child hadn’t made the best impression when coming in, but she was willing to forgive that due to the emotional turmoil this request must have caused them. And she knew the guards the Wangs employed, they were professionals. For this person to have evaded them and snuck out of the mansion was no mean feat, a clear sign of potential. However, while the Society had gotten quite adept at smuggling people around the country without a trace, the Wangs were wealthy. They could undoubtedly hire the best to track their missing child down. It could cause a scandal. After a while Madam Liu came to her decision.

“The Resplendent Phoenix Society exists to help women in Shen Zhou and advance their rights, and that has always included those who wish to be women even though they were not born as such. Not to mention, from your successful escape from the mansion it is clear you have the skills to become a good fighter, with the right training. So we will help you.”  
The young person immediately looked up, a look of surprise and hope on their face. Madam Liu wasn’t done yet however.

“That said, have no illusions, it will be difficult for you. You will have to cut contact with all your family and friends, at least for the coming years. And training will be hard. While we fight we also put high stock in feminine traits and behaviour, and since you weren’t raised as a girl you will have to train extra hard to attain the expected level. Moreover, don’t expect us to perform miracles. We’ll be able to help you a lot: clothing, speech, manners, etcetera. We can even give you medicines that will stimulate your Yin and help reduce some of your masculine traits. But in order for you to undergo the physical change that you’ve heard about, you need to fundamentally change the Yin and Yang energy flowing in your body. It is something only you can do, and only after years of training. It is entirely possible you will never be able to do it. Knowing that, do you still wish to continue on this path?”

They let her words sink in for a moment, before nodding firmly.

“Yes. I’m willing to do what it takes.”

Madam Liu nodded.

“Very well. In that case, come back in two weeks, with any small possessions you wish to keep. I’ll arrange everything in the meantime. Now, go back to the mansion, before it’s morning and they start missing you.”

They stood up, taking a deep bow before Madam Liu.

“A million thanks, milady. This humble one will forever be in your debt for this kindness.”

They then hurried quickly through the door.

Madam Liu sighed, walking back to her room. So much for a relaxing night. It’d be best to go to sleep immediately. After all, her workload for tomorrow had increased even more now that she would have to make plans to ferry that girl somewhere far and safe.


End file.
